by Marcus Aurelius.
Among ancient Roman Emperors, Nero and Julius Caesar were probably household names. Most people can relate some things these emperors were known for: Nero with the great fire of Rome and Caesar with Cleopatra. However, when asked about Marcus Aurelius, a significant number would probably respond with: “Marcus who?” Until about two years ago, I would be among the “Marcus who?” group. Indeed, I had visited Rome no less than four times. Every time I passed through Capitoline Hill, I hardly noticed the replica of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius on Capitoline Hill, because I did not know anything about him. It was sometime in 2019, when I became interested in Stoicism, that I became aware that “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius is regarded as a great book and Marcus Aurelius has the reputation as a philosopher king.
The version I read was translated by Gregory Hays. Hays’ introduction gave a short summary of the life of Marcus Aurelius and his philosophical background. It was pointed out that Meditations was neither a philosophical treatise nor a diary. Rather, it was a set of private notes for the author’s own guidance and improvement. Even the title was not from the author, and the origin of the title was unclear. There was no indication that these notes were intended for publication. There were 12 “books” or segments, each containing a series of statements/short paragraphs of the authors’ thoughts/meditations. There was clear influence of the Stoics, as well as influences of Socrates, Plato and the pre-Socratic thinker Heraclitus. Although there was no evidence that the Stoic philosophers and Marcus Aurelius were aware of Confucius, their teachings, in regard to how to live a good life, had similarities with those of Confucius. Indeed, there are scholarly articles expounding their similarities. Here is an example: - “Recompense hatred with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness”.– Confucius - “What if someone despises me? Let me see to it. But I will see to it that I won't be found doing or saying anything contemptible. What if someone hates me? Let me see to that. But I will see to it that I'm kind and good-natured to all, and prepared to show even the hater where they went wrong. Not in a critical way, or to show off my patience, but genuinely and usefully.” – Marcus Aurelius While similarities were many, there was a notable difference in that Marcus repeatedly emphasized the insignificance of individual human life in the vast scheme of the Universe. Indeed, it has been pointed out that “Marcus does not offer us a means of achieving happiness, but only a means of resisting pain.” Some examples from Meditations: “In short, know this. Human lives are brief and trivial. Yesterday a blob of semen, tomorrow embalming fluid, ash. To pass through this brief life as nature demands. To give it up without complaint. Like an olive that ripens and falls. Praising its mother, thanking the tree it grew on.” - Meditations Book Four 48. “Our lifetime is so brief. Nothing to get excited about. Consider the abyss of time past, the infinite future. Three days of life or three generations: what’s the difference?” = Meditations Book Four 50. “Soon you’ll be ashes or bones. A mere name at most – and even that is just a sound, an echo. The things we want in life are empty, stale, trivial.” - Meditations Book Five 33 To my knowledge, such melancholy sentiments were not found in the teachings of Confucius. Regardless of their similarities and differences, the wisdoms of Confucius and Marcus Aurelius had come down through the ages, and humanity everywhere had benefitted from them.
Link of review in amazon.com.
Review by Kai Fong Lee.
Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome, Italy (Source: Wikipedia)
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